Chapter 9: Conflict
Lucy froze. Jack's voice was low, controlled- but there was something else beneath it now. Something sharper. More alert.
"Why aren't you telling me?" he asked again.
Her throat went dry.
"I… " It's nothing," she said quickly, pulling her hand away from her stomach. Too quickly.
Jack noticed. Of course he did.
His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, calculating, observing— putting the pieces together. "Lucy." Her name sounded heavier this time. Not a question. A demand.
She shook her head. "You're overthinking it."
Jack took a step closer. "You have been dizzy.
You haven't been eating properly. And now this—"
"It's stress," she cut in. "From what?"
Lucy let out a frustrated breath. "From everything!" she gestured around vaguely.
"This marriage, this house, you— everything is too much sometimes." That part wasn't a lie.
But it wasn't the whole truth either. Jack studied her face carefully. Looking for cracks. For hesitation. For anything that didn't add up.
And Lucy could feel it.
That pressure.
That scrutiny.
It made her chest tighten.
"I'll call a doctor," Jack said suddenly. Lucy's eyes widened. "No." The response came too fast. Too sharp. Jack's gaze hardened slightly. "Why not?"
"Because I said I'm fine."
"That's not your decision to make." Her anger flared instantly. "Excuse me?"
"You are not in a condition to decide that right now." Lucy stepped back, pulling herself away from him.
"You don't get to decide anything for me." Jack didn't move. But his voice dropped. "I do when it concerns me." The word hit differently this time.
Lucy's breath caught. "Concern?" she repeated.
Jack held her gaze. "You're my wife." That reminder felt heavier now. More complicated.
More real. Lucy shook her head. "This is exactly why I didn't want things to change," she said.
Jack's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They already have."
Silence fell again. But this time, it wasn't just tension. It was something deeper. Something unavoidable. Lucy looked away, gripping the railing again. Her thoughts were racing.
She couldn't keep avoiding it. Couldn't keep pretending. Because deep down… she already knew.
"I need to go out," she said suddenly. Jack frowned. "Where?"
"Just… somewhere." "That is not an answer."
Lucy turned to him. "I don't need your permission." Jack's jaw tightened.
"And I don't like uncertainty." Lucy let out a small, frustrated laugh. "Well, get used to it." Before he could respond, she walked past him.
Fast.
Determined.
Because if she stayed any longer… She might say something she wasn't ready to admit.
Hours later—
Lucy stood alone in the bathroom again. But this time… It felt different. Heavier. Final. Her reflection stared back at her. Pale. Tense. Afraid.
She looked down at the small object in her hand.
Her fingers trembled slightly. "…This is stupid," she whispered. But her voice didn't sound convinced. She had told herself it was nothing.
Just stress.
Just exhaustion.
Just confusion.
But what if it wasn't?
Lucy closed her eyes tightly. "Think." She tried to go back. To count the days. To remember. Her breath hitched. That night. The balcony. The moment everything changed. Her grip tightened.
"No…"
It was too soon.
Too unexpected.
Too… real.
She paced the bathroom for a moment, her thoughts spiraling. "If it's positive…"
She didn't finish the sentence. She couldn't.
Because that would mean— Everything would change. The contract. Her life. Her dreams. Everything.
Lucy stopped pacing. Her heart was pounding louder than ever. She looked down at the test again. Then slowly…walked forward.
Minutes felt like hours. The silence was suffocating. Every second stretched longer than the last. Her hands were cold. Her breathing uneven. Her mind was racing through every possible outcome.
And then— She looked. Everything still. Completely still. Lucy stared. Her eyes were wide.
Unblinking. As if looking away would change what she saw. But it didn't.
Her breath left her slowly. "…No" she whispered.
But this time— it wasn't denial. It was a realization. Her hand trembled slightly as she lowered the test.
Her mind struggled to catch up with what her eyes had already confirmed. Positive.
Lucy sank slowly onto the edge of the bathtub.
Her body felt heavy. Her thoughts scattered.
This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't part of the plan.
This wasn't part of the contract.
A baby.
Jack's child.
Her chest tightened painfully. "What am I supposed to do…?" she whispered. Her dreams flashed in her mind. Runaways.
Freedom.
Independence.
Everything she had been holding onto. Everything she had sacrificed for.
And now…
This. Lucy let out a shaky breath. Her first instinct was clear. Immediately. "I can't keep this," she said quietly. The words felt harsh. But they were real.
Because keeping it meant giving up everything she had ever wanted. It meant being tied to Jack
in a way the contract never intended. It meant losing control of her own life.
Lucy stood up slowly. Her decision is forming. Not fully. But enough. She needed to think. She needed to figure things out. But one thing was certain— she wasn't ready to tell him. Not yet.
But as she stepped out of the bathroom— she froze. Jack was standing there. Right outside her room. His eyes immediately met hers.
Sharp.
Searching.
Unmoving.
Lucy's heart dropped. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked. Jack didn't answer right away. His gaze flickered briefly past her—
Toward the bathroom. Then back to her.
"Long enough," he said quietly. Lucy's breath caught. Her fingers tightened at her side.
"What happened in there?" he asked.
His voice wasn't loud. But it carried weight. Authority. Expectation.
Lucy opened her mouth— but no words came out. Jack took a step closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Dangerous.
"Lucy," he said, "tell me the truth."
Lucy's lips parted— Her heart racing—
And Jack was standing close enough to hear it.
But instead of speaking— she took a step back.
hing. Jack noticed. His gaze sharpened instantly. "You're avoiding the question," he said.
Lucy shook her head quickly. "I just… need some time."
"For what?" His voice wasn't raised. But it was firm. Unyielding. Lucy's heart pounded as she tried to steady herself. "To think," she said. Jack didn't move. Didn't soften.
"You should've done that before walking out of that room." The words hit her. Lucy swallowed.
"I didn't expect you to be standing here."
"I didn't expect you to hide something from me."
Silence.
Heavy.
Tense.
Lucy looked away. Because he was right. She was hiding something. Something that could change everything. "It's not serious," she said finally. The lie felt weak. Even to her.
Jack stepped closer. "And yet you look like your world just collapsed." Lucy's chest tightened.
"Stop analyzing me like I'm one of your deals."
"Then stop acting like one."
Her eyes snapped back to his. "What is that supposed to mean?" Jack's gaze darkened.
"You're hiding information that affects me." Her breath caught. There it was. The truth sits between them.
Unspoken.
Dangerous.
"This doesn't affect you," she said. Jack's jaw tightened. "Everything about you affects me."
Lucy let out a small, disbelieving laugh. "Since when?"
"Since you became my wife." The word hit differently now. Not like before. Heavier. More real. More complicated.
Lucy shook her head. "This is exactly why I didn't want things to change." Jack took another step closer. "And yet, they did." Her back nearly hit the wall behind her. There was nowhere else to go.
No more distance to create.
"Lucy," Jack said quietly. Her name again.
Low.
Controlled.
But there was something else beneath it now. Something closer to urgency. "Look at me."
She hesitated. Then slowly… she did.
Their eyes locked. And for a moment—
Everything else faded. "Tell me what happened in there," he said. Lucy's heart pounded. She could feel it in her chest. In her throat. In every breath.
"I…"
The word got stuck. Because saying it would make it real. And once it was real— There was no going back. Jack's gaze didn't waver. "I'm not asking again." The warning was clear. Lucy felt it.
That pressure.
That control.
And something inside her snapped.
"You don't get to demand things from me!" she burst out. Jack didn't flinch. "You don't get to hide things from me."
"It's my body!"
"And it's my life!"
The word hung in the air.
Sharp.
Explosive.
Unavoidable.
Lucy froze. Because that— that was the truth she didn't want to face. Her voice dropped. Quieter now. More fragile. "You don't understand.…"
Jack's expression hardened slightly. Lucy shook her head.
"I can't."
"Or you won't."
Her silence answered for her. Jack stepped even closer. Close enough that walking away wasn't an option anymore. "Lucy," he said again.
Softer this time. But more dangerous. "What are you hiding?"
Her heart raced. Her thoughts spiraled. She couldn't keep this in anymore. Not with him standing there. Not with the truth pressing against her chest.
"I'm pregnant."
The words came out before she could stop them.
Quiet.
But clear.
Silence. Complete. Absolute. Jack didn't move. Didn't speak. Didn't react. For a moment—
It was like the world had stopped.
Lucy's breath came out uneven. She watched him carefully. Waiting. For something. Anything.
But he just stood there.
Still.
Unmoving.
Then— His eyes shifted. Slowly. Deliberately. From her face… To her stomach. Lucy felt it.
That look. That realization. That connection is forming. "It's yours," she added quickly. Her voice was slightly unsteady. As if she needed to make it clear. As if there was even a doubt.
Jack's jaw tightened. His hands curled slightly at his sides. And when she finally spoke—
His voice was different.
Lower.
Darker.
"Say that again." Lucy frowned slightly. "What?"
Jack's eyes snapped back to hers. "The first part." Her heart skipped. "I'm…pregnant."
Another silence. But this one wasn't empty. It was building. Something heavy. Something dangerous.
Jack turned away suddenly, running a hand through his hair. A rare crack in his control.
Lucy watched him. Carefully. Uncertainly.
"Since when?" he asked. His voice was tight now. Controlled. But barely.
"I don't know exactly," Lucy admitted. "But it has to be from last night." Jack let out a quiet breath.
Not relief.
Not anger.
Something else. Something deeper. Lucy crossed her arms slightly, as if protecting herself.
"I'm not keeping it." The word landed like a bomb.
Jack went still. Slowly— He turned back to her.
His expression was unreadable. But his eyes—
His eyes were sharp.
Cold.
Dangerous.
"What did you just say?" he asked. Lucy swallowed. But she didn't back down. "I said I'm not keeping it." Jack stepped closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Each step is heavier than the last. "You don't get to make that decision alone," he said.
Lucy's anger flared instantly. "Yes, I do!"
"No, you don't,"
"It's my body!"
"And it's my child." The word hit harder than anything else.
Lucy froze. Because this—
This wasn't part of the contract. This wasn't something they planned. This wasn't something she wanted.
"I have dreams," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "I have a life outside of this— outside of you!" Jack's gaze didn't soften. "And this is part of that life now."
"No, it is not!"
"It is."
Lucy shook her head, panic creeping in.
"You don't understand what this means for me!"
"Then explain it."
"It means everything changes!" she snapped.
"My career, my freedom— everything I've been working for!" Jack took another step closer.
"And what about me?" The question caught her off guard.
"What about you?" she repeated. Jack's voice dropped. "That is my child." The way he said it—
Possessive.
Certain.
Unyielding.
Lucy's chest tightened. "And it's my future," she shot back.
They stood there. Locked in place. Neither is willing to back down. Neither is willing to understand. The tension was unbearable now.
Thick.
Sharp.
Breaking.
"I'm not arguing about this," Lucy said finally. Jack's eyes narrowed. "You don't get to walk away from this." "Watch me." she turned—
Ready to leave. Ready to escape. Ready to breathe—
But before she could take another step—
Jack's hand caught her. Firm. Unmoving. Her breath caught. She didn't turn. Didn't speak. Didn't pull away.
"Lucy," he said quietly. But this time—
It wasn't just control. It was something else.
Something deeper. Something more dangerous.
"You're not going anywhere."
Lucy slowly turned back—
Her heart racing—
Jack's grip is still tight on her wrist—
And for the first time—
She realized…
He wasn't asking anymore.